Stand Still
by marinabreeze
Summary: Vivian and the twists and turns her life leads after where Blood and Chocolate left off.
1. Chapter 1

This is a first ta me so lay off if ya don't like it. Write yer own.

Disclaimer: I don't own Blood and Chocolate. I wish I did but no dice.

Vivian opened her eyes and was witness to the fly on the ceiling slowly turning in circles. The fly had no idea it was being watched and went on to pursue higher things like licking its forelimbs and rubbing them over its eyes. The silence in her room was only disturbed by the faint clicking sounds coming from the kitchen downstairs and her own imagination telling her she could hear the soft licking noises of the fly. Though her eyes where open she was still in that blissful state of half consciousness. She strained her ears for a moment and could hear other things as well: her own breathing and her mother and Tomas laughing in the kitchen. A little further she could hear men grunting and the sounds of heavy labor. Vivian flared her nostrils and caught whiffs of coffee and diner pancakes and that faint sweet smell of cut wood. Over lining it all was the smell of dust and Ajax.

_Nothing like a new home and the same old shit inside_, thought Vivian.

While not looking forward to watching her mother play sexy hostess, Vivian did look forward to the thought of coffee. Nice hot black coffee. But first the delayed processes of making herself look presentable. Vivian considered.

_Naaa...I could just skip it and get the coffee. After all, they have seen me in a far worse state._

She rolled to the edge of the bed and slid out from under her sheets. Catching herself just before she hit the floor, she stumbled to the door and swung it open. The steps where littered with chips of wood and one or two cans of beer.

_Lovely. We are really moving on up_.

Stepping nimbly over all the crap in her way she climbed down and at the foot of the steps turned to her left and walked through the archway and stepped lightly all the way down the corridor to her left again and finally opened the door to find Esme giggling and nearly bouncing in her seat as Tomas apparently made some joke or ludicrous suggestion.

_Too early in the morning for this. _

Vivian ignored them and made a beeline to the coffee pot thinking of the sweet acidic taste that would soon be in her mouth.

Her new home was far from finished and had been in sad shambles when they had arrived. Gabrielle had suggested a group home or an inn but after all that the land that he purchased was used for a small ranch. Nothing like acres of land to run in and still feel like the last living souls. School was an interesting dilemma since a couple had suggested the kids be home schooled but no one had as of yet dared to put their own selves to the task. The registration had gone along well and the school was 12 miles away. Not that she was complaining since to Vivian it was a walk in the park. What irked her was the thought of her age-mates being a pain in the ass the whole way there. But she had learned that people change with time and maybe it would work out different what with the new change of scene and new faces to see….

So whatcha think? I 'ope no one hates it since it's a first timer and all but if ya think ya can 'elp than go ahead '


	2. Chapter 2

I Don' think anyone is actually readin' these but they amuse me by the load so here we go.

Disclaimer: Again no dice. I don' own any of the Blood and Chocolate characters.

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Vivian snapped out of her musings when she saw out of the corner of her eye Tomas reach out and brush back her mother's hair with his fingertips. Vivian felt a deep crack of hurt somewhere inside and anger when her mother giggled.

_What an ass. Sure be all cute now but who knows how he'll get when he feels that he is inside our safety net_, Vivian thought.

But what really bothered her was she couldn't remember her mom ever being this way with her dad. Before she had been too busy with Aiden and the things happening with the pack to notice how close her mom and Tomas where getting but she dismissed the thought of saying something almost immediately. He was one of them so anything happening that shouldn't wouldn't be tolerated by the Alpha. She hadn't seen much of him lately since all of the happenings. What little of him she had seen had been his brief hello and goodbye while he ushered his little triplet sisters out the front door and the orders that where barked to Ulf to help them set up. She felt a smidgen of hurt thinking of how warm and safe she had felt and the happy flutter in her stomach when he held her that night that he unstuck her. The night in the woods had been the last but had also been the best. She could still taste the air and feel the way the wind had furrowed her pelt into different channels. She heard the singing in her ears of her kind singing the songs that had been sung in the past millennia to the sentient moon that has hung above that night. The next day everything had been as of before and she thought of how even if it hadn't she would have herself felt funny and defensive about her and Gabriel. She wasn't even sure of where she stood to him. She new that there was heat and passion in them and she was still Queen Bitch but trying to read him felt like drowning.

The next running would be soon since she could feel the tug in her skin. She thought about it for a few moments and decided that she wasn't going to wait to run with the pack. She would go tonight.

Vivian poured her coffee in a mug and added sugar and creamer. She felt the jolt of peace flow all the way to her toes with the first sip. By now Tomas had moved his wandering fingers to her mothers face and it was all Vivian could do not to laugh at the enchanted look on her mothers face.

"Wow, why don't you just get on your knees right now and recite poetry since it seems to be working," said Vivian.

Her mother flashed a look of annoyance and a soft sneer. Tomas smiled and kept right on rolling with the punches.

"Oh I am not the one who ends up on their knees, poetry or not," chuckled Tomas.

"Tomas!" her mother scolded but Vivian couldn't help notice the smile that passed between both of them.

"Way more than I ever wanted to know," Vivian snapped in disgust.

"Well you where the one who started and after all we don't minister judgment on what ever it was that and Gabriel did to free you from your state." Her mom snapped.

Vivian felt a flush start to grow on her face. She smashed the cup down and was awarded with the sound of the cup splintering. Her mother didn't even look up from Tomas's eyes to see what her daughter had cracked this time. Vivian stormed out of the kitchen and headed to the corridor and threw the archway and up all the way back to her safety.

_Thank goddess it Saturday_, thought Vivian.

She didn't want the prospect of having to wake up early tomorrow hinder her day. Vivian looked around her room. The only things set up where her bed and the nest of clothes that littered the corner. She walked over to it and stripped of the long t-shirt she had slept in with one yank. She stooped over to pick up some underpants and a bra as she glanced at everything else in the heap and tried to find something she would feel comfy in.

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So thanks fer anyone readin' this I hope to keep with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to the sweethearts that 'ave bothered with readin' this. An' thanks to the love that bothered reviewin'.

Adfasgdfah

Vivian settled on swiped up a t-shirt and a pair of khaki pants. She quickly slipped them on and glanced around for her hairbrush. Since she couldn't see it she just ran her fingers thru her hair and hoped for the best. She grinned at the thought that she who had slept in mud and in bushes would be fastidious with something that would get tangled anyway. She glanced around one last time and found her small pack of cash and stuck it in her pants pocket.

_Sure, if I get hit by a bus then they won't know who the hell I was but the will know I had a whole $15 to my name. _

She glanced around one last time and again was struck by how empty her room was. What really bothered her was that she found that she really didn't care as much about it as she wished she did. After all she knew she ended up trashing most of it in a fit of rage. It was only a mater of time before her walls had a couple of dents and holes in them.

Vivian wondered about what she should do with herself seeing as to how she had bothered to dress her self up. She yanked on a pair of running shoes and walked out of her room.

_I could go into the backyard and see what the guys are "fixing"… or I could just walk into town and have a look around. _

They had only been there for 2 weeks and she really had only gotten to see the post office and the school and the store. Not much. Especially for someone who liked to get around and meet new faces. She opted for the second choice and went down the stairs again.

_Living here should give me Richard Simon's ass,_ she thought, much to her humor.

She scurried around the mismatched and misplaced furniture and debris and made it to the front door. She swung the door open and heard the angry protest of the door over her enthusiastic yank. She quickly slammed it behind her and waltzed down the front steps and walked right thru the dead flower bed and onto the side walk. She walked lightly down the street until she could hear the sounds of drills no more. At the edge of the street she turned left and walked further down another 4 streets. She saw a couple of people doing people stuff and a few kids playing some modified tag game. A street further down and she took a right and there was the post office.

_Now what. I guess I could just wander around some more. Mayhaps I run into a mall or something. Or into something more interesting. _

She walked down another street and past a row of small shops. In the windows she could see anything from shoes to bags. She passed one that sold candy underpants and had a couple of novelty cake pans. Definitely something she had never found so out in the open in her old town.

She couldn't help smile and think that maybe she would walk in there one day. Maybe. If things with Gabriele ever picked up again. She could see her hazed reflection on the dirty old glass. Her hair shown with highlights that one could never get with paint and she had good skin and knew it. It bothered her that Gabriele seemed to think maybe that since they where now a compromised couple in the pack ranking that the race was over and she could be ditched. She knew that it may not be exactly true but it sure felt that way right now. She passed a window that made her slow down and stop altogether when her mind registered what she had glanced. She turned and looked back into the window. A small cushion was lying in the corner of the display and on it was what appeared to be a small silver bowl of beaten metal. Vivian didn't much care for the bowl but for the cushion that held it. It was obviously hand stitched and was very lovely to look at. It was deep green and the edges where sewn in a running stitch of a vibrant black. It looked like it was made of viscose and divinely smooth. On the center was a square of black like the boarder, and on it was a picture of a woman laughing. The woman was slightly bent in a pose like she just got caught about to spin in the middle of a dance movement. But what really got Vivian's attention was the expression on the woman's face. Her hands where upturned and she looked like she was laughing the wildest, kindest, oldest, laugh on earth. Like she knew exactly the truth that for one second that laugh was hers and hers alone and would never be heard in the entire world again. And in the background overshadowing the woman was a pale silvery moon made in nearly white thread.

Vivian couldn't help but stare. Whoever made this knew something about them. They had to. No way could they ever fathom something like this if they themselves didn't experience it. She couldn't smell any of her kind nearby. Vivian couldn't help but remember in that moment what she had felt when she read Aiden's poem in the school paper all that time ago.

_Easy girl, remember how wrong we where about that_, she thought. _Well even if I am that thing is mine. It will add to the disarray of décor or more like the lack of it anyway. _

So she took a deep breath and swung open the door right when she had an attack of sneezes from the incense that assaulted her nose that came out with the stale breeze wafted from the shop.

Hgafhglagj

Ta, till next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Well I 'ad a bit of a problem with th' server but it was fixed n' on with th' show.

Dfhadfh

"Jupiter bless you."

Vivian stopped sneezing and coughing just enough to peer at the strange woman that stood behind the counter. Through watering eyes she had a vague impression of a brightly colored muumuu and lots of rings on thick jointed hands.

"What," minced Vivian.

"Jupiter bless you," the woman repeated.

"I'm not in agreement with the whole god thing so I use my way of speech. I'm a spiritualist and my name is Amanda and this is my shop." Said Amanda since that apparently was her name.

By now Vivian had gotten her breathing accustomed to the thick atmosphere of smoke in the room but her nose was going berserk since it picked up every whiff of every thing. The woman didn't seem to laugh at her but did have a faintly amused look on her pale freckled face. She had short hair and several piercing spots on her face and ears.

_Certainly not what I had thought a woman like her would look like. But then again I don't know anyone that is a self proclaimed spiritualist._

She shot a small look at her surroundings and noted that there was a back door to the left of the counter. Vivian couldn't see any other entrances. The shop was full of bright little knick-knacks. There where statuettes made of resin of Egyptian gods and there where whimsical little figurines of bambi eyed dragons and brightly colored cloth everywhere. Closer to the woman was a glass case along the front of the desk. Vivian was still thinking of the small cushion but couldn't help but feel drawn to the case in front of her. The woman was re-arranging the desk that was adjacent to the front one and was humming a tune. She walked up to the case and in the half light of the shop she saw dozens of bits of jewelry winking up at her. There where dragon rings and symbols and birthstones everywhere.

"I can bring out anything you'd like to see closer if you like," offered Amanda.

"Alright and thanks," responded Vivian.

She could see a rainbow hued bracelet made out of tiny crystals on a drop of purple velvet.

"Could I see that one please?"

"Sure. That is a chakra bracelet. Do you know what that is? It is the stations the body has at all times there is a chart here that you could get if you like that explains it fully." Said Amanda.

"No I would just like to see the bracelet"

Amanda hoisted back the arms of her muumuu and on her arm there was a band of keys on a squiggle key ring. She pulled it of and riffled through the keys and selected on small one and inserted it into the case. She opened the back door and plucked out the bracelet and handed it to Vivian. Vivian noted that it was held together by a series of drilled bits on the crystals and strung together by some clear thread. The small price tag on it said 5 bucks. Vivian pondered about how much would the cushion cost along with the bracelet. She glanced up at Amanda and made up her mind to ask.

"The cushion in the display. Is it hand made? Who made it? How much is it?"

Amanda smiled, "I was wondering when you where going to get to that. I noticed you looking in at it. It's really nice isn't it? I made it. And yes its hand made. Its only nine dollars. I had tried selling it for more but I was thinking of closing this place down since it's more of a hobby thing now and I usually don't have it opened anymore."

Vivian began eyeing the woman again. She didn't smell like her kind and sure shooting didn't look like them. She couldn't get any whiffs of her people in the shop but with all the smog she wasn't sure…

Amanda noticed the silence and amended, "I have a good friend who has had dreams that he liked to describe to me and that's what my artiste's interpretation of it is."

Vivian decided to buy both things at once. It didn't matter that now if she was hit by that renegade bus all she had was a bracelet and a cushion. At least whoever found her would think she had good taste.

Then she thought of something she had forgotten.

"How much is the bracelet and the cushion plus tax?"

Amanda smiled and answered, "I don't charge tax on stuff I made and I made both of these."

Vivian said, "Then can I take them both?"

Vivian thought about what Amanda had said and decided that anyone who had such vivid dreams that another could see them just by listening was worth a little investigation. That and she was just bored.

"So who is the dreamer?" asked Vivian.


	5. Chapter 5

Well wha'ever was wrong with th' server is fixed as you can tell. I ran out o' coffee and toast again. My roomy also managed t' mangle Microsoft Word.

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Vivian walked down the street with her paper baggy in her hand and thought about what Amanda had just told her.

_Chris…so his name is Chris._

Amanda had not known where he lived but was able to tell her that he was a friend of hers that hung out at a local IHOP and she had known him for a few years. At first Vivian had been hesitant to believe her but had smelled not the least bit of nervousness or fear in the woman. And she also was able to look Vivian in the eyes when she spoke.

_Either she is very honest or she is an extremely good liar. _

She had said that she never meets up with him on purpose but it was just coincidental when they ran into each other. She wouldn't say anything else about him and Vivian didn't ask since she was very conscious to how conspicuous she was. What Vivian couldn't ignore was the small smile the woman always had on her face. It made her wonder exactly what that Amanda knew that made her so happy. She pleased look on her face made Vivian think that maybe her and the guy where lovers of some sort. Ah well, another tidbit of info. Vivian cleared her thoughts about the matter and went ahead to lighter things. She glanced down at the baggy in her hand and slowed down a little. Fishing gingerly around she was able to located the chakra bracelet in the folds of the tissue wrap and extract it. The bracelet was prettier in the natural light outside than in the shop. The colors where muted some but it still had the rainbow effect. Slipping it on, she turned the street corner and headed home again.

Walking lightly she noticed that it looked cloudy overhead and she had not noticed that on her earlier walk. So cloudy in fact that she was very sure it would rain on her. Vivian sped up some and made it back home by the time the first drops hit her. The door was still unlocked and when she swung it in the first thing that greeted her sight was a small open box on the floor in the corner. She stood still and listened. No one home by the empty sounds of space inside. She walked up to it and saw that it was a half eaten box of marshmallow peeps. The only person she knew that could stand that taste was the triplets and if they had been here than Ulf had been here and so had Gabriele.

_Great, I'm not sure if I'm disappointed to have missed them or relieved. Maybe both. _

Vivian headed for the staircase and up into her room. She swung it open and was greeted with a familiar scent of cheep strong soap and a light musk that put her on the frits. Gabriele had been in here. She was sure of that. Vivian glanced around and could not see anything that was out of place. The scent was stronger on her bed. Vivian bent over and whiffed at the bed and noticed one spot where she had the feeling he had sate down. Slowly she sate down and stared strait ahead.

_What had he been looking at? Did he stare strait ahead the whole time? Why was he in here to begin with? Thanks for keeping him in his place, mom_. Vivian thought with sarcasm. One thing was for sure, she was locking the door from now on.

_I wonder what time is it…_

Vivian bounced up and went to one of the plantation windows on her wall. She peered out and by the look it was only mid afternoon. The rain made it harder to tell but she was pretty sure. Vivian glanced down into the yard where all the chips and dust from the woodwork was in clumps. The wood was under a tarp in the corner of the yard and out beyond it were the woods. The fence had only 2 walls to separate their area from the neighbors. They had removed the back part themselves. The neighbors might think it odd but with all the stuff going on they would probably assume that they where going to build it again. They wouldn't but it was a good excuse.

Vivian decided to take a nap until evening came and she could leave and explore the area that now belonged to them in the night.

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Thank you, I will keep um up.


	6. Chapter 6

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Vivian woke up feeling groggy. She stretched and felt a small pain in her sides when she did so. Swinging up sideways she felt the pain worsen and glanced down. Her pants had molded to her skin and that's what was causing the pain. Vivian carefully slide her finger into her pants and wiggled the clothing loose, this being another obvious reason why she usually slept naked or with little on.

Stretching carefully, Vivian stood up and looked out the window. A nice dark night was waiting, if somewhat damp. Vivian looked down at her rumpled clothes and thought about changing and laughed. Pretty soon she wouldn't be needing her clothes. Vivian felt an electric thrill of anticipation worm its way up in her and felt the need to bolt down the stairs and into the backyard, so she did. Sprinting at a speed that no mere human could match, she took the stairs down in a few small uncannily accurate bounds. Skidding around the archway, she bounded down the hall and past the kitchen and through the washroom, all the way to the screen door. Her previous plan had been to just wiz on through it but when she plowed through the door something on the ground that had been sitting on the steps caught her legs with its bulk and brought her crashing down.

Vivian slammed her hands on the floor as she skidded to a stop and narrowly avoided smacking her teeth into the ground. Flipping herself over and using her hands to push herself up caused some pain when her hands slipped in the muck but it got her to her feet quick which is what she needed to asses the threat. On the ground, grunting but at the ready, was none other than Willem.

"Shit Vivian, you almost knocked my head off!" murmured the disgruntled teen, as he visibly relaxed and rubbed his head.

Vivian relaxed slightly but was still sucking in air and trying to slow the adrenalin that was pumping in her system. She didn't trust herself enough to open her mouth yet, sure that all she could do was growl. Her teeth had lengthened on their own and that made for a mouthful. Vivian willed her teeth back and felt the familiar pangs of pain and the raw feeling of her gums reconstructing themselves.

"What the fuck where you doing behind the door? What the hell are you doing here?" asked Vivian the minute she was sure that she could articulate.

Willem stopped rubbing his head and smiled at her as he got up. He stretched out his hand and she took it to help hoist herself up.

"I got bored and to be honest I was hiding out here. Im not one to stall progress but as long as it's done on someone else's expense." Replied the cheerful teen.

Vivian brushed herself off and looked at her hands. Her fingernails where usually short to begin with but now they where worn down to the quick and her palms where a raw angry looking muddy mess. She glanced up at Willem and got a sudden feeling of mischief. Before he could move she swung her fist at his face as hard and as fast as she could. Willem barley had time to move his head before she parted him from it forever. Vivian took the momentum of the swing and lashed out with the back of her fist at his belly. Willem took the impact strait to his gut and went down with a squeak.

Vivian pounced quickly and planted one foot on each side of his head. Willem groaned at finding himself on the floor again but didn't try to rise.

"If you where wearing a skirt then this might actually be worth it" was Willem's reply to her attack.

"I wouldn't be saying anything cute if I was you," replied Vivian.

With a sudden movement, Vivian removed herself from her stance on Willem and shot her arm out to help him up. She suddenly didn't feel like playing around anymore. The night air was cool and damp and crisp with smells. Turning her back on the boy, Vivian started walking towards the woods.

Willem fallowed her to the edge of her yard and stared after her as she slipped into the dark arms of the forest.

"Wait Viv! I'll go with you!" Willem whispered. He too felt that the silence need not be broken.

Vivian turned around and her eyes where already catching moonlight. Willem could almost not see her at all but for her eyes that where glowing.

"Fine, if you can keep up," was the challenge issued.

"Just like old times," thought Willem.

Ergaehjah

Thanks for followin' up on the readin'. Don' worry, this isn't some W/V fic. And I forgot to disclaim that I don' own IHOP. Besides I hate the food. It's only good if your really hungry n' Denny's isn't open. 


	7. Chapter 7

Been a bit busy. Thanks t' th' love tha' bothered with remindin' me 'bout th' pet name.

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The tree branches slowly closed in around Vivian and Willem until they where completely engulfed in the darkness. There was a small clearing a bit further in and there it was that they stopped and began stripping. Vivian didn't feel the least bit bothered by the thought that she was getting naked with someone whom she had known for years and that wasn't her mate. Willem on the other hand knew well enough to keep his eyes only where they belonged. Vivian left her clothes in a pile on the floor and glanced up in time to see Willem pick all of his up and look around for a suitable place to prop them.

"Since when do you give a rat's ass where you leave your things?"

"Well, Vive, if you must know, since the washer isn't installed and I didn't feel like wasting quarters at the local laundry mat. Besides this is what I planned to wear for our first day Monday," answered Willem.

Vivian spared a glance down at her own things and found she couldn't care less about them. Shaking her hair, she glanced around and willed on her change. The organic crunches and creaks where echoed by the twin sounds coming from where Willem was standing. When she was done she was left shivering. Vivian allowed herself to plop onto the ground and closed her eyes and laid there for a few moments. Her hearing told her that Willem was panting from his change as well. Her nose told her that some pheasant had recently been standing near to where her head was and something, probably a bigger bird judging by the lack of trace smell, had startled the pheasant and caused it to promptly shit it pants. Her heart pounded in its new body and her fur stirred with the breezes. She heard Willem stand and felt more than heard the displacement in the air in front of her muzzle signifying that he was there and looking down at her.

Snapping her eyes open, she caught Willem by surprise and Willem pounced back a pace and wagged his tail. Vivian sprang up and tore the ground as she propelled herself towards Willem. Willem bounced out of the way and sped after her. Vivian slouched towards the ground and made herself as aerodynamic as possible. She already had an advantage: her build was smaller than Willem's.

Vivian could hear the sound of his pursuit get fainter and fainter as she out distanced him and out maneuvered him. Her blood was coursing in her body and she at once felt the glorious feeling of being alive. There was a slight hindrance in her step and glancing down she noticed that she had forgotten to take off the chakra bracelet and that while her forelimb had become thinner than her human arm; the bracelet had slipped down and was lodged onto the joint that connected to her paw. Her paw was too big for the bracelet to come out.

_Ah well, I guess if it really bothers me than I can make my hand human enough to take it off._

Going back to the marathon at hand, Vivian noticed that Willem wined somewhere far behind her but Vivian had told him that he was only welcomed if he could keep up. She could hear water nearby and her smell picked up mud and rotting vegetation. Vivian decided to have some fun and as soon as she turned a corner into a grove of trees, she jumped into a bush and stayed dead still. Counting on the fact that Willem had never had much patients with tracking and that there was mist in the air, she was willing to bet with herself that he would probably run all the way to where the water was and think she wadded her way through it to loose her scent. She slowly willed herself to stop breathing and listened to the sounds of Willem getting closer.

Willem burst into the grove and kept running strait. If she had the lips to do it, Vivian would have sneered. She stayed put until she couldn't hear him and then dashed out in the direction that they had come. The smells of her and Willem where ripe on the air and it would probably take him some time to figure out what had happened. When she neared the clearing, Vivian took a left and went deeper into the bush. The steady click of her nails on rocks told her she was too near the human compounds so she went deeper into the woods. There was a puddle of water on the ground a few feet away from the rain and she went over to it to get a drink. The water reflected the darkness from all around and the mists made the whole place seem vast and quiet. She felt like she was the last living soul in those parts. Vivian watched her dark reflection for a moment and then started to lap up the water. She stopped the minute she got a chill that caused her to look up. Across the puddle in a bush she could see a pair of mirrored eyes. The mist was thick and she wasn't sure of what she saw but in a moment they where gone.

Well she wasn't one to beat around the bush and decided that the possibility of a rabbit snack was too good to pass up. She slowly slinked around the puddle and edged her way towards the bush. She was down wind and at a disadvantage but she was fast and stronger than any predator and she had human logic on her side. She was rapidly approaching the bush, 6 feet….5….4…3…2…and she pounced.

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More soon?


End file.
